Transaxle

A transmission comprising:

• a housing, a shaft journalled in said housing and having an axially disposed groove in the outer surface thereof, a plurality of forward gears and a reverse gear freely journalled on said shaft and having respective key-engaging slots in respective bores therein;
• a key member selectively slidable in said axially disposed groove and having an end portion yieldably biased radially outwardly from said shaft outer surface, said key member end portion having separate engagements with respective said key-engaging slots of said forward gears when said key member is axially shifted to thereby drivingly engage a selected forward gear to said shaft, and shift means for axially sliding said key member in said axially disposed groove;
• said reverse gear being separately engageable by said key member end portion engaging its key-engaging slot;
• and
• a neutral gear position collar member disposed on said shaft between said forward gears and said reverse gear, and having a recess disposed in the bore of said collar member, and said collar including integral lip means for forcing the key member end portion radially inwardly.

In a transmission including a housing, a shaft journalled in said housing and having an axially disposed groove in the outer surface thereof, a plurality of forward gears and a reverse gear freely journalled on said shaft and having respective key-engaging slots in respective bores therein, a key member selectively slidable in said axially disposed groove and having an end portion yieldably biased radially outwardly from said shaft outer surface, said key member end portion having separate engagements with respective said key-engaging slots of said forward gears when said key member is axially shifted to thereby drivingly engage a selected forward gear to said shaft, and shift means for axially sliding said key member in said axially disposed groove, the improvement comprising:

• said reverse gear being separately engageable by said key member end portion engaging its key-engaging slot, and
• a neutral gear position collar member disposed on said shaft between said forward gears and said reverse gear, and having key-receiving detent means in a bore therein, said key-receiving means being formed to receive said end portion said key member therein when said key member is shifted between said reverse gear and said forward gears, thereby maintaining said key member in a positive neutral position on said shaft,
• said end portion of said key member has opposed surfaces sloping axially outwardly and radially inwardly relative to said shaft,
• wherein said key-receiving detent means is a recess radially outwardly disposed in the bore of said collar member, said recess having opposed surfaces sloping axially outwardly and radially inwardly relative to said shaft, and
• said end portion opposite surface and said recess opposite surfaces slidably engaging with each outer during engagement and disengagements of said end portion and said collar member to provide a camming action therebetween.